Who Gives A Fish Forums

For feeding, I'm planning to use a mix of frozen, dry, and live foods. When it comes to dry foods, I'd love to hear your recommendations. I've come across Fluval's "Bug Bites" range, which seems promising, but I'm curious about the differences between their formulas. For instance, what makes the cichlid formula unique compared to their micro granules, and would it be a bad idea to feed cichlids food labeled as "for small fish" like tetras?

As for dry food brands, are there any you'd recommend specifically for cichlids? I'd appreciate any insights you can share.

Regarding the gender of my future Bolivian Ram, I'm aiming to get a male for my community tank. Does anyone have advice on how to identify a male in a mixed tank of juvenile/small keyhole cichlids and Bolivian Rams? In a well-established group, it's usually easy to tell, but in a mixed LFS tank with young fish, it's harder to determine. The fish won't display their full colors until they're settled, and observing their behavior is tricky, especially since the tank is awkwardly high up. I'm hesitant to rely solely on the shopkeeper's expertise.

If I accidentally bring home a female, are there any concerns I should be aware of? I'd prefer to have a male, but I won't be able to travel back to the LFS anytime soon, and transportation links to the city are limited.

Their scientific name, Mikrogeophagus, gives a hint about their nature - mini eartheaters. They love fine sand to sift through for food. I never used pellets, only flakes, and they'd spend the day happily digging.

Bug Bites seem like a good option for your fish, maybe the regular ones or those with algae - they eat plant matter while sifting. Just avoid goldfish food, and you're fine. These fish need quality food but aren't fussy.

Honestly, I doubt you'll be able to tell their sex when they're young. I don't get why you're worried about females, though - they're just as easy-going as males and look similar. Check the front rays on the dorsal fin; a higher one might indicate a male. Still, you might not see full colour or behaviour from them. In slightly larger tanks with small groups, they seem more colourful to me.

Keep their water clean - that's crucial for these fish.

It's probably going to be a gamble when it comes to getting a male or female Bolivian Ram at the LFS, if I'm being honest. Two main reasons for this - firstly, even some of the more knowledgeable folks on here have trouble sexing juvenile Bolivian Rams, so I'm not too optimistic about the LFS staff's chances. Secondly, trying to gauge it based on behaviour in the LFS tank is a good idea, but as soon as the net comes out, all bets are off.

On a more positive note, it might not make a huge difference to you whether you end up with a male or female. In fact, it might not even matter at all, or so I've come to think.

graye wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 3:12 am Their scientific name, Mikrogeophagus, gives a hint about their nature - mini eartheaters. They love fine sand to sift through for food. I never used pellets, only flakes, and they'd spend the day happily digging.

Bug Bites seem like a good option for your fish, maybe the regular ones or those with algae - they eat plant matter while sifting. Just avoid goldfish food, and you're fine. These fish need quality food but aren't fussy.

Honestly, I doubt you'll be able to tell their sex when they're young. I don't get why you're worried about females, though - they're just as easy-going as males and look similar. Check the front rays on the dorsal fin; a higher one might indicate a male. Still, you might not see full colour or behaviour from them. In slightly larger tanks with small groups, they seem more colourful to me.

Keep their water clean - that's crucial for these fish.

I was only leaning towards a male because they seem more common, but I don't actually have a preference. I'm just not that familiar with the behaviour and social differences between male and female Bolivian Rams in the wild. boomer's previous post about their compatibility and temperament was helpful, though. I think what I'm really looking forward to is seeing the colours of a Bolivian Ram, regardless of whether it's male or female - the pictures I've seen online are stunning.

I've seen two main colour variations of Bolivian rams in the hobby. The more common one is a beige-brown colour with a neon red edge on the dorsal fin. The other, which is less common, especially in Canada, is a bluish, pearly colour that's really striking.

I've noticed the bluish ones seem to come from the wild more often than the ones that are farmed, but I'm not sure why they're not farmed as much. It's possible that the ones you get in Ireland might be from the same farms as the ones here, so you might end up with the brown morph. I'm curious to know, but I don't think the gender of the ram will make a big difference - both males and females look similar.

One thing I've found is that Bolivian rams are a lot easier to keep than Venezuelan ramirezi. They don't need warmer water and they live a lot longer. They are a bit bigger, though.

graye wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 3:12 am Their scientific name, Mikrogeophagus, gives a hint about their nature - mini eartheaters. They love fine sand to sift through for food. I never used pellets, only flakes, and they'd spend the day happily digging.

Bug Bites seem like a good option for your fish, maybe the regular ones or those with algae - they eat plant matter while sifting. Just avoid goldfish food, and you're fine. These fish need quality food but aren't fussy.

Honestly, I doubt you'll be able to tell their sex when they're young. I don't get why you're worried about females, though - they're just as easy-going as males and look similar. Check the front rays on the dorsal fin; a higher one might indicate a male. Still, you might not see full colour or behaviour from them. In slightly larger tanks with small groups, they seem more colourful to me.

Keep their water clean - that's crucial for these fish.

I think I'll likely end up with the brown morph, but I recall the staff mentioning they had one "blue" one left - though I suspect it might have been a German ram, I'm not entirely sure. The layout of the tanks was a bit confusing, with the keyholes and Bolivians in one, the golden German rams in another, and then a blue one in a separate tank.

I visited the store last week to take note of their stock and pick up some sand, but I'll be going back this Wednesday on my way home from a city appointment. That's when I plan to pick up some researched fish, hopefully including a Bolivian ram.

Graye, you seem to have some experience with the colour morphs - in your experience, is there a noticeable visual difference between the sexes? I've noticed that in pictures online, females appear to be mostly brown, lacking the reds and blues that I see in the males. However, this could be due to the fact that I've only seen pictures and not observed them in person.

The larger size of the Bolivian ram isn't an issue for my setup, as I have a 54L QT tank that's already established, and I'll be planted cycling a 280L tank to serve as the permanent home. The QT is relatively small, but it's only temporary, and the fish seemed quite small when I saw them last week - likely juveniles or young adolescents, probably under 2 inches.

I've got a fairly decent track record with sexing Bolivian Rams, but only when they're a bit older. The younger ones, I'm about 50/50 - not exactly a talent I'm proud of, but I've learned to live with it.